Morning Pages

It's early Saturday morning. This is the view as I sit in my 'Julie chair' in my living room... a nutty cup of cafe' feminique coffee as company (you really must swing by Trader Joe's and pick up a can of this coffee! Ruthie, you DO know how to pick coffee, girl!).

Early sunlight is starting to stretch its arms across a crisp, frosty sky. Shadows illuminate the wall and slowly dance through the room. It's a quiet setting after wrestling with the cat in the confines of the bathroom to perform triage on a nasty abscess, and putting back together the damage done by attempting to wash a queen-size down comforter in one's washer. (*note... if you are so inclined to mimic my stupidity, please refrain from any attempt to jam such item into such container. Not only will said comforter not emerge clean and fresh, you will find yourself mopping your laundry room at 11 pm, then running your dripping wet comforter, which now weighs 50 lbs., as oppossed to its usual lofty 10 lbs., out to the clothes line in 39 degree weather. Said action is not condusive to a restful night's sleep.)

But I digress....

I recently had the priviledge to listen to the author, Julia Cameron, speak about the benefit of writing your 'morning pages'. Journaling in the morning before you do anthing else. I've attempted journaling in a scattered sort of style and always had the mindset that you journaled in the evening...when the day is done. But Ms. Cameron says that is not the time to do your journaling; by then the events and actions of the day have already happened...and you can change nothing. She offers that to journal in the morning allows you to set your day, to plan your day...to direct your actions and make happen what you wish, desire and need. I like that train of thought.

So I attempt to do my morning pages...in the morning. This is a bit difficult, as I am not a morning person, so to speak. But I have tried to do them when I can. I found a wonderful set of Marjolein Bastin journals for a mere $5 four years ago, and they are the perfect pages to begin with. I've also met other women who, too, do some type of 'morning pages'. (Where was I when this little ritual began??!) No matter. I'm glad to have found it now.

A few days ago I was driving around 'blogland' and visited a young woman whom I found through a friend who also blogs. Every so often I stop by her site. The other day, she posted these wise words which she had found on her sister's site. I printed out this - whatever you want to call it - for it hit me at my core. I have shared it with a couple of friends over the last few days; each one wanting their own copy. Perhaps you, too, will find comfort, affirmation or support in the message that these words beholds as they descend down. May blessings find their way to you this day.

Let Go, Let Spirit

To 'let go' does not mean to stop caring...

it means I can't do it for someone else.

To 'let go' is not to enable,

but allow learning from natural consequences.

To 'let go' is to admit powerlessness,

which means the outcome is not in my hands.

To 'let go' is not to try to change or blame another;

it's to make the most of myself.

To 'let go' is not to care for,

but to care about.

To 'let go' is not to fix,

but to be supportive.

To 'let go' is not to judge,

but to allow another to be a human being.

To 'let go' is not to be in the middle arranging all of the outcomes,

but to allow others to affect their destinies.

To 'let go' is not to be protective;

it's to permit another to face reality.

To 'let go' is not to deny,

but to accept.

To 'let go' is not to nag, scold or argue,

but instead, to search out my own shortcomings and correct them.

To 'let go' is not to adjust everything to my desires,

but to take each day as it comes and cherish myself in it.

-author unknown